Japanese Snake: Casino Gangs
by Inutori
Summary: -ON HOLD- AU: Now retired, legendary master thief Japanese Snake moved to America to begin a new life with her high school sweetheart. Unfortunately, things are never easy when it's you & your friends that hide the darkest secrets.
1. Arrival

**Inutori**: Japanese Snake, which has been complete for practically a year now, has suddenly become much more popular than I ever expected. Because of all of the new reviews and people adding the story to their "alerts" list and all that, I decided I would get my butt into gear and at LEAST put up the first chapter of the sequel. But know this, even if you haven't read JS, I think this story will still be enjoyable. I am trying my hardest to ensure that this is a self-contained story, despite being a sequel.  
**Kagome:** It's about time.  
**Inutori:** JS: Casino Gangs is an original story of mine, even though the characters don't belong to me, so please refrain from stealing it. Unfortunately, my brain is fried, and while I have a plot for this sequel-story, I just can't seem to be able to cast off the lines and get this bugger sailing.  
**Sango:** Perhaps it has to do with your lack of attention to fanfiction in general and your focus on original stories.  
**Inutori:** That's probably it. Chapter 2 won't be posted until I can get the story out of the harbor and onto the open sea. Sorry. Anyways, enjoy at least THIS chapter.

_Chapter 1  
__Arrival_

Kagome pulled her sunglasses down to cover her eyes as she stepped off the airplane. She felt the blaze of the summer heat encompass her form, giving her the foresight to mumble a sarcastic remark about Las Vegas really being man's heaven on earth.

Two men wearing ridiculously obvious and probably flaming hot suits stood near baggage claim with a sign reading "Ookami Party." Hidden behind her shades, Kagome took a fleeting glance at Kouga Ookami and his wingmen, Ginta and Hakku.

Was it really the smart thing to join their crusade? Either way, it was too late to turn back now. Kouga glanced her way, his blue eyes piercing into hers despite the glasses, and gave her a stupid grin like he had just won the Rubber-Duck-Shooting-Contest or something.

As best she could, Kagome peeled the corners of her lips up into a smile, hoping that Kouga would buy it. He apparently had, as he turned away and walked towards the greeting party set out for the small groups' arrival.

Another moment of inspecting the two suited guys and Kagome assessed that they were both holstering weapons. What was this, the yakuza? Kouga's uncle only ran a Casino. At least, that's what Kouga had told her.

Lies and more lies. That's all the world was nowadays. So much for going clean after the move to America. Kagome felt herself frown as she dragged herself after the three stooges.

They had to wait about 15 minutes at baggage, waiting for their luggage to arrive, before they followed the "escorts" to a fancy limo. With a sigh, Kagome slid into the car before Kouga, allowing for him to slide in after her and take the seat next to her side.

With a tired yawn, they were off.

"Kagome?" Kagome looked at Kouga through half-opened eyes, ready for a week-long nap. She hummed in lieu of a verbal response. "I have something I've been meaning to ask you."

Her eyes opened slightly wider, intuition signaling that this was going to be a pivotal moment. "And…?" She prompted him, leaning closer because of his soft tone.

"Well…Kagome…will you marry me?" He presented her with a large and sparkling diamond ring fastened to a white gold band dotted with delicate rubies around the outside, along with spirals of yellow gold accenting it.

Kagome sat back, stunned. She couldn't say she was entirely surprised, since she did just move halfway around the world with the guy. It was just that she needed more time to adjust; more like get over her crush on that American FBI agent.

The limo was silent as Kouga stared at her in anticipation, along with his two pack members. She noticed that they were all starting to lean closer to her as if to hear her better. Kagome let out a sigh and then smiled brightly.

Who was she kidding? Kouga and she had dated for nearly two years; a two-week fling wouldn't change that. That, and that ring looked awfully inviting to try on. Her fingers were starting to itch in anticipation.

"If that's what you want, Kouga-kun." The smile didn't leave her face as Kouga pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her square on the lips.

Ginta coughed, ending the moment and Kouga broke away with a grin. Kagome's hand entwined with his larger one, and they spent the rest of the ride exchanging smiles and secretive glances.

After, of course, Kagome donned that brilliantly beautiful piece of artwork Kouga had picked out as an engagement ring. Hey, the greedy thief in her hadn't had been dormant long enough not to appreciate it's value; and she couldn't deny that she liked to own pretty, shiny, and expensive things.

It hadn't really sunk in yet that Kouga had just PROPOSED, though, and Kagome kept trying to wrap her mind around the idea, not understanding why she just couldn't picture herself as Mrs. Kouga Ookami.

BLOB

This had to be the most boring day of his existence: Tuesday. You were already finished with the weekend rush of paperwork, and the new assignments hadn't quite arrived just yet. It was a day that a lot of the employees skipped out on just for this reason, putting off any potential work until Wednesday or Thursday.

Inuyasha yawned and stood up, deciding that an early lunch sounded perfect. If it weren't for the fact that his new partner was supposed to arrive in town today, he wouldn't have even bothered showing up at the office as he had been doing for the last week since returning from Japan empty handed.

He went home for lunch, looking around his quiet apartment with a blank expression. Everything was as Kagome had left it when she disappeared. The furniture she had purchased still arranged in the fashion she had decided. Her desk sitting unused in the corner, her computer sitting there, (to an extent) untouched…

Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw that the computer was gone, the only evidence it had ever been there the thin layer of dust covering all but the areas the monitor, keyboard, and mouse pad had occupied. Had he been robbed? Or had she…

Shaking his head emphatically, Inuyasha kept his thoughts from turning in that direction. Instead, he decided that he would file a report of the theft. It wasn't really THAT pressing of a matter, as he had nothing on the computer, and he never needed it anyway. Why should he care if something of Kagome's had gotten pilfered? He just quickly assessed the rest of his apartment to be sure that nothing else had been stolen.

Nope. Even Kagome's dresser full of clothes remained untouched. Not that he cared, or anything…

Inuyasha fixed himself a couple packages of ramen before heading back to work, sighing at the disapproving look Kaede fixed on him upon his return. His new partner must have shown up while he was out.

Going into his office like nothing was wrong, Inuyasha froze as he laid eyes on the hourglass figure perched on the edge of his desk, glaring daggers at him and brandishing a particularly sharp-looking knife. Her red hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her green eyes piercing into his own golden orbs. The sharp, pointed nails adorning her long, slender fingers and ears that rose into a point did not go unnoticed, either.

There was a moment or two of awkward silence before the girl wearing black slacks and suit coat stood up and gave him a once over.

"I presume that you are Agent Jidai?" After a slight nod on Inuyasha's part, the woman continued. "I am called Ayame Hunt." Her crisp, trained words put him on edge, and Inuyasha could already tell that he wasn't going to get along very well with his new, and very obviously entirely demon, partner.

Nothing else was spoken verbally between them, though her body language clearly stated that she was not trusting of HIS sort. Whatever his sort was…Inuyasha didn't really care that much about it, though.

TICK TOCK

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight beaming down on her, and she knew that her young male companion who had just climbed out of the passenger seat was experiencing the same discomfort. It was hot, humid, and the A.C. in their car had been broken for quite some time now.

The young man, not quite seventeen, looked to her, squinting slightly against the sun in their eyes. "Are you sure this is the place?"

Kagura nodded, letting her eyes take in the grounds and everything around them. You could see for miles, the view only obscured by a slight hill or two sparsely placed on the horizon.

The third passenger finally emerged from the back seat of the car, fanning herself with her hand and grimacing at the blazing heat. "Who in their right minds would want to live here?"

Kohaku, the young man, shrugged and followed Kagura in her trek towards the ominous looking building, the cement walls standing out against the vegetation like some hideous tumor. He glanced back at his cousin, wondering how well she was actually taking all of this information, despite her calm exterior.

Noticing his look, the raven-haired girl smiled brightly at him, quickly falling into step behind him and Kagura.

As they stepped through the double doors of the building, they felt the cold air blast at them, as if blowing away the muggy atmosphere they brought upon their entrance. Kagura glanced at both of the people following her before going to the reception desk and telling the secretary, "My name is Kikyou Higurashi, and I have an appointment with Dr. Gregory Michaels."

The receptionist nodded, typing something into her computer. "Alright. It says here that you were bringing-"

"My sister," Kagura interrupted, "yes. She's right here: Kagome Higurashi." The scarlet eyed woman's eyes bore down on the curly haired brunette sitting behind the front desk, daring her to challenge what Kagura had said.

Kagura beckoned the other female with her to step forward to greet the receptionist; the smaller woman quickly obliged, smiling kindly at the poor girl. "I-I'll need y-your Pass-Passport, Green Card, and driver's l-license, pl-please?" The receptionist's scared stutters softened the woman's, introduced as Kagome, face, as if relaxing her own fears and trepidations.

The proper documents were promptly produced, and the woman tried to smile broader to perhaps lessen the effects Kagura's glare had had on the pitiable thing behind the desk. In return for the documents, the receptionist handed the girl, who had proven she was indeed Kagome Higurashi, a stack of paperwork to fill out.

"Miss Kikyou, I'll in-inform Dr. Michaels you're here."

Kagura nodded and turned to have a seat in the waiting area with Kohaku and the slightly flustered Kagome.

"I had no idea there would be this much paperwork! You told me I just had to come along and everything would be settled. Kagu-"

"It's Kikyou, Kagome." Kagura interrupted Kagome in a harsh whisper, eyes darting to the other patients as well as a random nurse that was speaking in soft undertones to the receptionist, probably to calm her down.

"Gomen-nasai, Kikyou onee-chan!" Kagome bowed slightly in her seat and proceeded to tackle the stack of papers like her life depended on it. Filling them all out would probably take her a good hour at the least.

"Kikyou Higurashi."

Kagura glanced up when her "name" was called, eyeing the nurse who stood there, scanning the waiting room and waiting for someone to respond. After a few seconds, Kagura stood and walked towards the nurse, letting the middle-aged woman lead her through a door and through a few passageways. Finally, they reached what must have been the right room, as the nurse let her in and shut the door as she left.

She glanced around the room, noticing quickly the window that led into a playroom where several toddlers were messing around, their actions monitored by a couple of nurses.

In fascination, she watched the children play together, laughter filling the room, yet not carrying to her through what must have been soundproof glass: or perhaps a one-way mirror. The infants were of all sizes, shapes, and color, no two looking alike: the only similarity was the bands on each of their wrists.

Kagura was unaware that much time had passed until a doctor slipped into the room and apologized for the length of time it took for him to come. "Ah, I see that the kids are in the playroom right now."

Reluctantly, Kagura turned away from the playing children and focused on the man before her. He was tall, around six foot three inches, and had dark brown hair splash excessively with silver. His brown eyes shown with knowledge as he took her in the same way she did him.

"It's been almost two and a half years since you were here last, Ms. Higurashi. According to the notes left by Dr. Giovani, there was a possibility that you weren't planning on returning?" He looked up at her in question, his eyebrows rising as he scrutinized her silently.

"That is correct, yes. I discussed with you over the phone everything over the phone, including my sister, Kagome Higurashi. She is in the waiting room filling out the paperwork your receptionist gave her as we speak."

Dr. Michaels gave her a steady look, his gaze locking with hers. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? There's no going back."

Kagura stretched her neck and straightened her back, allowing herself to stand at her full height. "Of course I'm sure. Were I not, I would not be here, nor would I have brought Kagome."

IN A MOMENT (One & some odd years later…)

Sango shoved all of the papers off of her desk in frustration. Documents and files scattered across the floor in a royal mess, leaving the only thing clean in the room Sango's desk.

The door opened at that moment to reveal Miroku carrying his morning coffee. He jumped back slightly at the sight, and then looked at Sango with an unreadable expression.

The female agent just slumped down in her chair and gave him a hard glare. She was at her ropes end, her last drop of sanity having been lost after their investigation of drug dealing in a traveling circus. As if clowns weren't creepy enough: top that with creepy clowns high on illegal substances.

"I'm done, Houshi." Sango practically ground out her words, the irritation in her voice extremely clear.

"Done with what, Sango-sama?" Miroku stepped over a file folder and pushed the office door shut with his foot. He moved over to his desk, trying to avoid stepping on the papers strewn across the floor. His expression was priceless; confusion mixed with mild amusement, and a bare hint of the thought, "Who's gonna clean up this mess?!"

"All of this. The people, the job, the hours. I quit." Sango dropped her forehead onto the wooden table in front of her with a loud thud. "This job is killing me."

"And being an assassin is less stressful?" Miroku mumbled, Sango barely picking up his words.

She wasn't sure she heard him right. "Excuse me?" Sango picked up her head and looked at Miroku suspiciously. Had he figured her out? She thought she had taken care of his curiosity regarding her background back in April of last year after their spontaneous trip to LA.

"I said being a sexy sin is less stressful?"

Sango narrowed her eyes at Miroku's lame cover-up. He knew something; she just didn't know how much. "Houshi, don't force me to use violence on you."

Miroku had the audacity to look appalled that she would consider such a thing before taking a calm sip of his coffee. "Sounds kinky."

Her face flared like a tomato, his words echoing in her mind like a broken record. Sango rose hastily to her feet. "Houshi-san, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go turn in my resignation." With a final glare at Miroku, Sango picked a few papers off the floor and stormed out the office door.

"Matte! Sango-sama! Matte!" She heard her partner's voice as it carried down the hall and into every other office on the floor. Instead of responding, Sango clenched her jaw, ground her teeth, and continued her way to their superior's office.

Someone grabbed her arm and jerked her around to face a panting Miroku. Subtly, Sango returned her hand gun to its holster where she had reflexively pulled it from; it was, after all, just Miroku. Her glare hardened as his grip didn't loosen and he slowly caught his breath.

"Sango-sama, you can't quit." Miroku met her gaze, his eyes searching her soul for something, but she didn't know what.

"And why not, Houshi?"

"…" For once, the delinquent agent was without words, his eyes still locked with hers. His demeanor changed suddenly without warning and Miroku pulled Sango in for a kiss, one hand on the back of her neck to keep her from pulling away.

After a moment, Miroku broke the contact, keeping it chaste.

"Sango-sama, I don't want you to leave my side." He rested his forehead against Sango's, his eyes closed as if he didn't want to face the rejection he probably expected to see in her eyes. "I want to hold you close, and know that you're safe. I…I want you to be mine."

Sango was now the one who was speechless, having not expected profound words like that to come from her partner's lecherous mouth. Was he…proposing?

"You are very special to me, Sango-sama. That's why I've never asked you to bear my children. But now…would you bear my children, m'lady?"

She felt her face heating up, her embarrassment doubling when she saw fellow agents peeking out of their offices at the pair over Miroku's shoulder. "H-Houshi-san…I…"

Miroku pulled her in for another kiss, and her muscles were unresponsive in trying to escape. Who was she kidding? She wanted to kiss Miroku so badly.

"Yes!" She felt herself smiling.

Her smile didn't even falter as Miroku continued with, "Even ten or twenty?"

"Yes!" She was so excited at Miroku's proposal (as obscure and unclear as it was) that she could barely think, until she remembered one vital detail. "There can't be any other women. You have to swear to that, Houshi." Sango spoke firmly after their lips parted again, resisting with all her being becoming a completely limp noodle in his arms.

Miroku was silent for a moment, continuing to stare into Sango's magenta eyes; the only thing out of place was the slight muscle spasms evident in one of his cheeks.

"Houshi…" Sango growled in the back of her throat, warning him subtly of the dangerous water he was treading in not answering.

"Then that means…Sango-sama! I love you!" Miroku picked Sango up by her waist and swung her around in his excitement. He then continued by pulling her in for another kiss, this one more passionate than the first two.

Sango felt herself sighing into the kiss, half out of the feeling of stress being released from her every pore and half out of pleasure. She couldn't deny that Miroku WAS a good kisser.

The pair finally broke off for air, and their ears were met by hoots and clapping. Miroku cocked an eyebrow and jerked around, as if just becoming aware of their audience. He was still short of breath as he snapped at them to mind their own business.

That surprised Sango. She figured that Miroku would gladly boast about conquering his lady partner. Then again, whenever she thought she had the man figured out, he'd always do something to throw her off balance.

**I  
Do  
Not  
Sleep**

**Inutori:** That's it for now, as I don't feel so inspired right now, with writer's block, and all…  
**Kagome:** I feel so shallow…and greedy…  
**Inuyasha:** Traitorous wench. Why'd you go and say yes to that wimpy wolf?  
**Kagome:** I…don't know…but at least he has good taste in jewelry. And his name is KOUGA! Not Wimpy Wolf!  
**Inuyasha:** Keh. Same difference.  
**Inutori:** ::coughs:: As I said in the author's note before the story, Chapter 2 won't be posted until I've overcome my writer's block, so if anyone has any story ideas or funny situations you think should be added, send me a review and will see what kind of inspirations you can give me and what all I can incorporate! Until then, ja ne, minna-san!


	2. Missing Love

**Inutori: **A note to those of you who read Chapter 1 _before_ I posted this chapter: I have replaced Chapter 1, and although most of it is the same, there are three additional pages of story added in, as well as some things being changed around. I'd recommend at least going back and skimming through it.  
**Kagome:** Why'd you change it after you posted it, anyway?  
**Inutori: **Well…a couple of reasons…first is that, as I was smoothing out the kinks in my plot, I realized that there was more that had to happen before Miroku proposed to Sango (which has now been changed to happening a year and a half or so after Japanese Snake, rather than only a couple of months); the second reason is that Chapter 1 was still just a rough sketch in some places, and so it needed to be touched up before I could properly write the rest of the story.  
**Sango:** That's your excuse, at least.  
**Inutori:** But it's true!!! And it's also true that I don't own Inuyasha, despite having claims to this story idea! So, if you so desire, you may proceed on to read the second installment of JS: CG.

_Chapter 2  
Missing Love_

_**Remember, two years have passed…**_

Kagome held the serving tray in her right hand, maneuvering through the throngs of people trying to strike it rich through gambling. She finally found the table she wanted and set out the drinks, eyeing the four men around the poker table.

One of them was wearing a Rolex watch and based on the bulge in his coat-pocket, he was packing a pistol. What was this, the Old West? After a quick assessment of the remainder of the players, Kagome tucked the serving tray under her arm and strode off, keeping her ears open for any potential disturbance.

As she passed a table of drunken card players, Kagome felt one of the men feel up her backside, laughing with his buddies like the idiot he was. All Kagome could do was grind her teeth and bear it, or she would be fired this time for sure by Kouga's uncle.

Speaking of Kouga, he hadn't been around for a couple of weeks. Kagome stepped behind the bar counter and set more drinks on her tray, silently mulling over the possibilities of what could have happened to her fiancé.

Sango looked pointedly at her from her bar stool, waiting for an answer to the question Kagome had so carefully avoided only a few minutes previously. When were the two of them going to set a date? Kagome supposed that the reason for Sango's persistence was that she had been proposed to and tied the knot within a matter of months. Her wedding had actually just taken place a few days previously and she and her new husband were here for their honeymoon.

The problem came in though, whenever Kagome even thought of marriage. It made her feel sick, but she didn't have the courage to tell Kouga no after everything he had done for her over the years. Maybe if Agent Jidai had been around, things would have played out differently. As it was, Kouga proposed just as they arrived in Las Vegas, and the next day when she called her mom, she found out that Inuyasha had shown up at the shrine looking for her.

But that was two years ago and Kagome hadn't heard anymore from the FBI agent that had seemingly kidnapped her both physically and emotionally. If she saw the man again, Kagome didn't know if she would deck him or jump him. Maybe both.

Again, Kagome brushed Sango off to go serve more customers, delivering their drinks and assessing that nothing was amiss at each of the tables she passed. It was during these assessments that she was able to draw on her skills of thievery that had brought her through her childhood and adolescence. Other than these brief moments, she had allowed her once sharpened skills of deceit dull to a bare fraction of what they had once been.

Unfortunately, Kagome was unable to avoid her best friend—and cousin—for any longer. Her shift ended and Sango was able to corner her.

"Shouldn't you be spending time with Miroku?" Kagome smiled lightly at Sango, trying to get her to lay off.

Sango just grinned, following Kagome out of the building like an obedient puppy.

There were shady looking men in the alleyway beside the casino, and Kagome felt Sango tense up beside her.

"Who are those guys, Kag?" Her throat was tight based on the sound of her voice, and Kagome took a more prolonged look at the five men loitering by the side entrance of the building she worked in. They were large and husky, each carrying themselves like someone who knew how to get their hands dirty. She suddenly understood what had put Sango on edge.

"I'm not sure. They've been hanging around here for the last couple of nights, but I haven't really thought much of it." Kagome continued walking, not wanting to get the attention of the five men barely 50 feet away. Sango followed without question, both of them silently agreeing that it wouldn't be good to be seen by such shady characters.

"Why hasn't Ookami done anything about them, Kagome?" Sango took a peak over her shoulder, but the men were already out of sight.

Kagome felt her body tense up, and she looked at Sango hesitantly. "Ano…Kouga-kun…I haven't seen Kouga-kun for about a month…his uncle hasn't said word one about it, either, so I haven't pressed the matter too much."

The serious look on her cousin's face made Kagome think twice about confiding in the older girl.

"Kagome, with those kinds of men hanging around the casino, and Kouga missing in action, I don't feel safe letting you continue working there." Sango's expression left no room for argument, but Kagome wasn't one to let someone get the better of her.

"I can handle myself. I mean, come on: without me, Naraku would still be at large and our families still not avenged." The former Japanese Snake smiled confidently, hiding her own self doubt well below the surface. She and Sango both knew, though, that Kagome's skills and abilities were a far cry from sufficient for taking on other criminals or defending herself properly from those who actually knew what they were doing.

"Yes, Kagome. I know. But it has also been two years since you've had to do _anything_ that has to do with fighting." From the sorrow in Sango's eyes, Kagome knew that she would have to do as Sango asked, and stay away from the casino until those men had moved on to a new hangout.

BREAK!

Ayame drank the last of her stale coffee in one gulp, not letting the disgusting taste linger in her mouth for too long. She had been awake for 193 hours 13 minutes and 54 seconds, and the clock was still ticking. And there was still work to be done before either her, or her partner, could even think of taking a break.

All of the files strewn out in front of her were from one of Jidai's sources as well as a few of her own, and they both needed to crack the embedded codes and figure out what, or how, this information could be used.

The redhead paused for a moment to rub her temple, scanning the last few pages that she had been reading again. There was a bio on some former Asian crime lord's right hand; a youkai female that had begun drug-trafficking heroine. Based on the information at hand, Ayame could gather that the original crime lord had been killed in crossfire and that most of the members had been apprehended afterwards. This youkai must have managed to get away before the main FBI force was able to swoop in.

She looked up at Jidai through half lidded eyes, thinking about how sloppy he had been in his style before she had come along. He had, after all, been the main field agent on the case. That was only a few months before she had become his partner.

Then again, he had also only been working for the FBI for little over a year at that point, and their superiors had decided to overlook his carelessness. She, on the other hand, had been a field agent for almost 20 years, despite her looks; and that was after 10 years of behind-the-scenes work. That was the beauty of being a demon, she supposed. Thanks to the blood coursing through her veins, she would be able to work as an agent for another good 2 or 300 years if she so desired, and still be able to retire with plenty of time left to do as she pleased.

A content grin came onto her face, as her eyes glazed over, thinking of all of the possibilities that came with retiring.

"Need a nap?" Jidai's biting growl shook her out of her daydream, and Ayame quickly squared him with a glare of her own.

"After you, Jidai. I, for one, want to finish reviewing these profiles before taking a break." Ayame picked up her coffee mug, only to remember that she had just drank the last of its contents. She looked into her cup, eyeing the few drops still clinging to the bottom.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Jidai down his coffee quickly, probably figuring that she could refill his when she fetched more of her own. Not like it would be terribly inconvenient for her, or anything.

So Ayame stood, picking up Jidai's empty cup as well as her own and leaving the cramped office they had holed up in for the last eight days.

Passing by another office with a window, Ayame paused to take in her reflection. Her dark green suit was wrinkled, desperately in need of a cleaning, and her hair was in complete disarray. She took a moment to run a hand over her hair that had escaped her bun, trying to flatten the frizz that surrounded her head.

With a sigh, Ayame continued down the hall to the coffee machine, where she proceeded to begin making herself and her partner fresh coffee. While waiting for the disgusting substance to fill the coffee pot, Ayame reached up and pull her hair out of the bun it had been in, running her hand through it to ensure there was no excess of snarls. Her hair, when loose, fell past her waste in a thick bush that was not easy to tame; hence the always wearing it up in a bun.

A few fellow agents stopped next to her to ask how she was doing, but Ayame just gave them all deadpanned looks before answering with a "Take a wild guess." That usually sent them on their way with their tails between their legs.

Once the coffee was prepared, Ayame filled both mugs and replaced the coffee pot to its normal spot. She dumped a small container of half and half into both coffees, as well as a packet of processed sugar each, and carried them back to the office she had emerged from.

Before she could escape back into her little hole, Kaede Sutruss stopped her. "Agent Hunt, if I could have a word?" The old woman was partially bent over just a few feet away from Ayame's destination looking like a superior that was not in a mood to be defied; the demonic agent sighed in resignation, knowing she couldn't wiggle her way out of meeting with Sutruss.

Though they had entered the FBI at the same time, Sutruss no longer stood on the front lines, her age and deteriorating body preventing that. Still, she was a force to be reckoned with as a superior and priestess with the ability to purify demons such as Agent Hunt

Ayame passed the office Jidai was in with a look of desperation and followed Sutruss, coffee still in hand. They entered Sutruss's office and Kaede offered Ayame to take a seat.

Declining, Ayame opted instead to stand by the door for an easier escape, still clutching her precious, yet disgusting tasting, coffee.

Kaede took her sweet time in sitting down, and Ayame felt her eye beginning to twitch, wishing that she could just skip this and get on with analyzing the many files on Asian-American Organized Crime with her partner, Agent Jidai.

"Agent Hunt." Ayame nodded at being addressed, her hair falling into her face and tickling her neck. "It has come to my attention that you and Agent Jidai have not left this building for eight days and that neither one of you has slept in that time span. Is this correct?"

"That is correct, Sutruss." Ayame wasn't sure where this was going, but at that point in time, she didn't really care.

"Retrieve Agent Jidai. I want both of you to hear this."

Taking in a breath, Ayame nodded and turned to face the door. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as Sutruss continued to stare her down, and she was more than happy to make her exit as quickly as possible.

When she finally got back to her own office, Inuyasha was glaring impatiently at her. He demanded his coffee with as much foul language as he could manage in less than five seconds. Ayame shoved it at him, at the same time telling him that they had to go see Sutruss.

"Didn't I tell you NOT to let her catch you?" Inuyasha took a swig of the coffee, his brain probably just as muddled as her own, and continued, "Remember last time? The old hag assigned us to _baby-sit_ some senator or other for TWO MONTHS!"

Ayame growled, baring her fangs at the hanyou agent. "Like I could forget? Still doesn't change the fact that she wants to see both of us. Now."

Inuyasha refused to budge, taking another drink of his coffee and picking up one of the files like he was reading the morning paper. "Let the senile hag wait. It's not like she's going to die in the next twenty minutes."

"Now, Inuyasha Jidai." Ayame pulled her gun and pressed it to Jidai's temple without warning, letting out a growl. She was not going to be disciplined over this pathetic wimp's childishly stubborn streak.

He looked almost halfway surprised that she had her sidearm pointed at him…again…

Nevertheless, Jidai stood up, grabbing his coffee and a few manila folders and headed out the door. Ayame followed quickly behind, making sure to lock their office so no outsiders could get their hands on the documents still in there.

They made the trek to Kaede Sutruss's office in silence, neither caring what, if anything, the other had to say.

Once both were in Sutruss's office, Kaede fixed them both with pointed looks out of her one good eye. "This has got to stop, you two."

Ayame leaned casually against the door and Jidai slumped into one of the chairs in front of Kaede's desk. Both avoided meeting their superior's gaze, instead finding other objects in the room more interesting. Jidai opened up one of the files he had brought along, reading quietly and taking a gulp of his coffee.

As a passing thought, Ayame wished she had had Jidai's foresight and grabbed some of the files to continue reviewing during this meeting, but the thought was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Agent Jidai!" Kaede barked at Jidai, and he reluctantly looked up from the file he was viewing.

"Keh. What do you want, baba?" Ayame rolled her eyes, knowing full well that it was his attitude that was constantly getting the both of them into trouble. Problem was that you couldn't approach him about it, else he lash out both physically and verbally.

"I want you to pay attention." Sutruss leveled her gaze on first Jidai, and then Ayame, ensuring that she had their full attention. "You two have gotten into an extremely unhealthy schedule. You are of no use to me when you're brains are so saturated with caffeine that you can't even think straight."

A fang poked out of Ayame's mouth as she felt a grin threatening to find its way onto her face. Though it was true that they probably had more coffee in them then blood, they were still thinking straight enough to know that they wanted more coffee whenever they ran out.

Jidai, however, didn't like what Sutruss said, made apparent by his rebuttal. "I'm thinking just fine, hag. Now quit wasting my time so I can get back to work."

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to take drastic measures with you two." Kaede pulled some papers out of a drawer in her desk and pushed it towards Jidai. "In two days time you will be leaving for Las Vegas, where you are to keep away from anything that has to do with your investigations or any other government work."

Ayame spit out her coffee in surprise, sputtering like a fish out of water in her surprise. "What?!?" She stood, taking her weight off of the door and dove forward, snatching the papers off the table that Kaede had set there.

There was an envelope with piece of paper containing an address in Las Vegas, along with two identical keys. In addition, there were other various papers, and apparent orders.

Kaede wasn't joking: the two of them were being put on forced leave and being kicked to another city to keep them away from the temptation of continuing their work.

LET TIME PASS QUICKLY

Inuyasha grumbled into his ramen, looking around his small kitchen and living room. There was no way he'd be able to leave all of this behind to go to Las Vegas for an indefinite amount of time. He'd be leaving not only his stacks of work that needed to be done, but also his only reminder of his Japanese Snake that had managed to slither out of his grasp so long ago.

Kaede had another thing coming if she thought that he was going to go quietly. Hunt may bow to the higher-ups, but Inuyasha would not stoop that low. He was going to stay right where he was.

Unexpectedly, his doorbell rang, making Inuyasha jump and almost inhale ramen into his lungs. He looked at the clock. Just as he thought: it was 2:34 a.m.

Who would be calling on him at this hour? Inuyasha felt his heart rate jump as he set his ramen down and headed for the door. But _she_ wouldn't have bothered ringing the doorbell, would she?

Looking through the eyehole, his heart dropped. It was only Ayame Hunt, his fellow agent. No longer in a rush, Inuyasha lackadaisically unbolted the door and pulled it open for his red-headed partner.

Hunt rushed in, looking outside at the parking lot a story below. She then shut the door and bolted it, not even acknowledging Inuyasha's presence.

In a flurry of movement, Hunt was in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water.

"Feel free to make yourself at home." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and his voice was flat. What Hunt was doing at his apartment in the middle of the night was beyond Inuyasha. She had never shown up like this before.

"I will. Thank you." Hunt chugged her glass of water and refilled it before heading to the living room. "It always amazes me to see your apartment. One would think a slob like you wouldn't have a homey, welcoming place like this. Are you sure you're not gay?" Hunt looked at him, a joking smirk in her bright green eyes.

Inuyasha felt himself rolling his eyes at Hunt's bait. "Did you come here for a reason, or just to insult me?"

With a quiet laugh, Hunt settled herself on the couch and beckoned for him to do the same. "No, no. I've brought a bit of information you may be interested in."

Sitting down on the recliner next to the couch, Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and looked at the wolf demon, indicating that he was listening.

Taking a quick drink of her water, Hunt spoke again. "Since there doesn't seem to be anything that can change Sutruss's mind about sending us to Las Vegas, I did a little poking around." Hunt grinned, her eyes taking on a malicious tint as she spoke. Inuyasha then knew that whatever Hunt had planned, it was good. "Turns out that the amount of members of different organized crime rings has spiked in Las Vegas over the last two years. The FBI in the city is trying to keep it under wraps, but you can't hide anything from this wolf."

Inuyasha felt a smirk forming on his own face. Sutruss was in for a big shocker if she thought that they were going to rest and relax. Hunt had just provided their new project, even though it was in a different city and state.

"There've been rumors of an informant turning tricks for all sides, selling everyone's secrets to their competition, and its reeking havoc on the city's infrastructure, both legal and illegal." Ayame pulled a piece of paper from her jacket. "From the looks of things, all of these established crime rings are ticked about the leak, and have come to Las Vegas to find the source of the problem. All evidence points to the brain of this coop being based in this city, and everyone's out looking for him."

"Well, Hunt, it looks like we're heading for Las Vegas." Ayame Hunt and Inuyasha Jidai looked at each other with wide grins, a glint entering both of their eyes at the prospects that came with this new case.

DON'T GET TOO BORED NOW

Shippou looked at the silver-haired demon sitting on the floor in front of him. It always made him weary when one of the Federal lackeys came sniffing around him. The unfortunate thing about this one was that he already knew about him, and had manipulated him to gather intelligence—without paying for it, either!

"Well, get to it, brat."

Narrowing his emerald-colored eyes at his unwelcome guest, Shippou turned to his primary computer and began typing furiously. He hit each key much harder than necessary, showing the former member of Youkai Enterprises just how angry he was about this.

Inuyasha Jidai had been using Shippou as a source of information on several organized crime rings ever since the Japanese Snake, Kagome Higurashi, had come to him two years before for information on the crime lord, Naraku. While he had been more than happy to help out Kagome, Inuyasha was a bit, fat bully who needed to treat him with proper respect.

Shippou threw another glare at Inuyasha, wishing the FBI agent would just shrivel up and die, already. Thanks to all of the information Inuyasha kept on forcing him to retrieve, Shippou had had to move his base of operations (including his now half dozen computers) constantly. Before _he_ had come along, Shippou had only had to relocate every couple of months. Now he was moving at least once a week to keep himself safe.

The stupid hanyou had succeeded in making more enemies for Shippou than the poor kit could keep track of.

Silence blanketed the dark basement room Shippou had most recently taken up habitation in, the only sound the typing on the computer, and clicking of the mouse as Shippou hacked into restricted files of both Feds and crime rings.

Throwing another glare at Inuyasha, Shippou took a blank DVD-DL off his stack and but it in the burner. Though he may have given special treatment to Kagome, all this jerk Inuyasha deserved was one disc (even though the DVD-DL held a lot more information per disc than the CD's he had given to Kagome).

When the burning was finally over with and the drive reopened to eject the disc, Shippou ripped it out and stuffed it into a protective jacket before throwing it at Inuyasha as if it were on fire.

"Don't come back."

"You said that last time, brat. I'll come back as much as I please." Inuyasha stood, pocketing the disc and zipping up his coat. As it was fall, the air was getting just a slight bit cooler as to necessitate the use of a light jacket.

Within a minute Inuyasha was gone, just as quietly as he had arrived two hours previously. What Shippou didn't understand was why the agent needed information about the under-the-table workings in Las Vegas, of all places. Was Inuyasha transferring?

If so, Shippou hoped Inuyasha was gone for good so that he would never have to lay eyes on that sorry face again.

**I  
Do  
Not  
Sleep**

**Inutori:** Whew…that took forever to write…  
**Inuyasha:** I want Kagome back as my partner. Ayame's annoying.  
**Ayame: **Look who's talking. The pot calling the kettle black.  
**Inutori: **Please refrain from infighting. It will do neither of you any good. And I apologize to the readers, but once again you may have to wait an indefinite amount of time for Chapter 3 (which I haven't even started), though my goal is to write and post it before I leave for vacation for the second half of August. No guarantees, there, though.  
**Ayame: **Wasn't there something else you wanted to tell everyone?...  
**Inutori:** Oh yeah! (snaps fingers) I finally met Ayame for the first time this week. I'm really only familiar with the manga version of Inuyasha, in which Ayame does not exist, and I finally watched the episodes where she is introduced. It was exciting, as now I have first hand, rather than second hand, knowledge of Ayame's personality! Please review for me and leave feedback and/or story ideas and suggestions!


	3. Rust Bucket

**Inutori:** Okay. Here's Chapter 3, though I warn you now that Chapter 4 won't be up for AT LEAST a month.  
**Kagome:** That absolutely stinks.  
**Inutori:** Sure, sure. But now I must apologize. For some reason, I guess someone got the impression that I was going to have Inuyasha and Ayame hook up. And I agree with their comment that the idea is kind of disturbing. That was not my intention in the least. Ayame and Inuyasha are Federal agents assigned to watch each other's backs. They are in NO WAY romantically involved with each other. If the story gave any of you readers the impression that they were, I apologize profusely. :shudders: I am an avid fan of canon pairings, thank you very much. And on that same line of thought…I don't own Inuyasha, but this story plot belongs to me, so please don't steal it.

_Chapter 3  
Rust Bucket_

_**Four Months Ago…**_

The relief was unmistakable as he walked across the stage and shook hands with the principle. He had finally graduated from high school. With only a glance at the observing audience of the friends and families of his classmates, Kohaku Takajima continued his march to Pomp & Circumstance.

He knew that somewhere in the crowd, "Kikyou" was watching him keenly. And even if she denied it, Kohaku also knew that his fake cousin had a hint of pride in her disposition at having gotten him through high school without getting his, or her own, head blown off.

Back at his seat among the sea of blue robes, Kohaku took the time to look for Kagura's tell-tale red eyes. Though he could not see her, he could still feel her demonic aura filling the place; she was the only demon within the facility.

The graduation ceremony went on for what seemed like hours, until finally the former students were released in a drawn-out procession to the outdoors. Once outside, Kohaku managed to maneuver his way through the hoard of people, following Kagura's aura.

She was as elusive to find as ever, but Kohaku finally did succeed.

"Hey, kid. You ready to go?" Kagura's red eyes shone in the sunlight and the breeze played with her bangs and the few strands of hair that had managed to shake themselves loose from her bun. Being sure to keep her gaze, Kohaku nodded.

He knew what was coming, after all. Kagura had only agreed to help him out until he was able to look after himself. Soon it would be time to part ways.

Kohaku straightened his back and followed after Kagura calmly. Although he had been smaller than Kagura when she had first escaped with him from Naraku's syndicate two years ago, he now towered half a head above her, having sprouted to a good 6' 2". He wasn't just a beanpole as he had been before, either. Over the last two years, training as he had with Kagura, he had filled out, becoming a well-toned, strong young man. Handsome too, he'd like to think.

When they reached Kagura's car, Kohaku noticed that the top was down, so rather than opening the door, he hopped over it and into the passenger seat.

Kagura just rolled her eyes at him and shook her head as she climbed into the driver's seat.

"Any idea where you're headed after this?" Kohaku looked at Kagura, trying to read her expression to know if she was going to lie when she responded or not.

She sighed before she answered: she was lying. "Not a clue."

Kohaku looked ahead again, wanting to know where the wind demon was headed, but yet not having the guts to force it out of her. "At least know where you're taking me?" She hadn't told him her game plan yet, so it was a valid question.

"I figure I'll get you set up in Reno, Nevada. Shouldn't take more than a couple months, agreed?" Kagura started her car and pulled out of the parking lot, not even bothering to look back at the city before jumping onto the highway.

With a deep breath, Kohaku leaned back in his seat and unzipped his graduation robe, revealing his blue button-down shirt and black slacks.

_**Present Time…**_

Kohaku kicked the garbage can out of his way, not caring how loud it was. The alleyway ended in a brick wall with no means of escape, so it didn't really matter if his presence was known.

The man he was hunting down whimpered slightly and Kohaku's eyes narrowed in on the origin of the sound, coming from behind a large garbage canister. Raising his sickle blade, Kohaku took a light step towards his target, opening his senses even further to his surroundings. He could feel the man's demonic aura slowly filling the alley, burning to a crisp the one rat that had dared venture down this street with a neko youkai present.

It only took another minute for Kohaku to reach his destination and slit the man's throat.

He wiped his blade off carefully on the man's pants, sprayed his blade, and then wiped it on a cloth from his pack. Satisfied, Kohaku jumped up to perch on the roof of one of the two buildings that formed the alley, making sure to scan the area for any potential witnesses.

Once certain that it was a clean kill, Kohaku ran along the roof and quickly jumped across a gap and onto the next roof over. He continued his calm escape, letting himself enjoy the cool breeze that came with an October night.

About two miles away from the corpse, Kohaku paused for a moment to pull out a small cell phone and dial a number. Kagura's deep, soothing voice answered, a slight extra purr added, in Kohaku's opinion.

"Yes?"

"The cat's been skinned. Time to make a coat." Kohaku hung up again quickly and pocketed the phone, continuing his travel without wasting any more time.

Another few minutes allowed for the feeling of victory to wash through him. With a grin, Kohaku jumped down onto a balcony across the street and slipped into a sixth story apartment.

With practiced ease, he pulled a t-shirt and jeans out of his pack and pulled them on over his slick, demon-skin outfit and changed from his boots into tennis shoes. He also took the binder out of his hair to let it fall around his face and shoulders.

Shaking out his hair and running a hand through it, Kohaku slipped out of the apartment and used one of his many trinkets to relock the door. Leaving no evidence of his presence behind, Kohaku took the stairwell down to the ground floor and left the building in silence.

Once away from there, he pulled his gloves off and stuffed them into his pack, where the rest of his excess gear was kept. He then pulled out a pair of glasses and gently placed them on his face, continuing his quick jog down the street, trying his best not to be seen.

After several detours, including the library and a local pub, Kohaku finally made it back to his own apartment that he shared with Kagura. Slipping inside, Kohaku dumped his pack on the floor next to the coat closet and took off his shoes.

He looked at his watch and nodded in acknowledgement of its indication that it was 4:17 a.m.

Cracking his neck, Kohaku went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, pulling off his casual clothes, and then his black, skin-tight exterminator outfit. Feeling the water, Kohaku stepped in and pulled the curtain closed, letting the hot water relax his muscles and wash the dirt and grime from his body.

A few minutes later he heard the door to the bathroom open and he quickly rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and peaked out from behind the curtain.

Kagura was leaning against the bathroom door, her hair down for once and pooling around her shoulders. She wasn't wearing any makeup either, something that surprised Kohaku.

Even though Kohaku had made it known that he was aware of her presence, Kagura said nothing. Her eyes were half lidded, giving her the appearance of a seductress on the prowl.

"Need something, Kikyou?" Kohaku really wanted to get back to his shower, having been kind of disgusted with himself when the shampoo had turned a sickly brown in scrubbing his hair.

Kagura straightened and entered the bathroom entirely, shutting the door behind her. "I'll wait until you're done." She scooted up onto the counter, making herself comfortable.

Kohaku disappeared behind the shower curtain again. He hated it when she pulled this; though she hadn't done it since they arrived in Reno.

Feeling his face grow red, Kohaku dumped more shampoo onto his palm and vigorously applied it to his hair. He could just imagine Kagura's cutting gaze eyeing the shower curtain impatiently. While she may see him as just a kid, Kohaku was grown now, and Kagura was barely 23 years old herself; a real youngling as far as demons went.

His embarrassment was not helped by the fact that Kagura was wearing only her deep red silk robe, tied such that there was an excessive amount of skin showing on her chest. He was very aware of Kagura as a woman, and having to stand naked with only a curtain between them was making his hands shake.

What seemed like an eternity later the water finally ran clean, indicating that he was dirt free. Kohaku turned off the water and carefully reached for his towel without having to open up the curtain to get it.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Kagura pushed a towel into his hand.

As soon as the towel disappeared behind the curtain, she began speaking to him.

"I've gotten you settled in now, Kohaku, with a decent clientele to boot. I think that's sufficient, don't you?" Kagura seemed to drawl, as if looking at her nails critically; she probably was doing just that, knowing her.

Kohaku quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He pulled the curtain open, suppressing his astonishment at her standing right in front of him and looking directly into his eyes.

"Of course it's enough." Kagura's eyes left his and slowly trailed down his body. "It's time now for me to take my leave, Kohaku."

Face heating up, Kohaku nodded, feeling a slight pain somewhere inside of himself. "Do you know where you're going to go?"

Kagura met his gaze again; her red eyes a shade darker than they were before. "Yes."

Since she didn't elaborate, Kohaku knew that she had no intention of ever doing so. His hand reached for her of its own accord as he stepped out of the bathtub. She didn't flinch away when his hand found her cheek, either.

They stood there for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Kohaku felt something race down his spine when Kagura's claws traced the muscles of his jaw for a brief moment before she stepped away from him. "This is goodbye, Kohaku."

"For good?"

Kagura nodded. "For good."

That said, Kagura seemed to just disappear right before his eyes like the wind that she was.

WEARING HIGH HEELS ON YOUR HEAD

Kohaku looked at the scrap of paper in his hand again, feeling the jittering inside his stomach increase as it drew closer to 11 p.m.

It was the one last thing Kagura had left for him before disappearing entirely. Though he missed her presence greatly, it was probably for the best that he didn't know where she was planning to go.

This new job was some sort of long-term ordeal, based on the scrawl in his palm. It told him to wait at this particular club on this exact stool, and the client would come to him.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Kohaku beckoned for the bartender to refill his drink before turning on the stool to survey the crowd. Demons and humans alike were gyrating on the dance floor, as if trying to procreate through their clothes; at least, what little clothes they were actually wearing, when it came to the women.

Kagura, in public at least, was fairly conservative in her apparel compared to these scantily clad females. She left some of her features to the imagination by wearing long coats or ponchos. Some of the women here weren't even covered enough to hide their undergarments.

In using the dancers as a distraction, and comparing them to Kagura, Kohaku lost track of time and eleven o'clock rolled around before he had time to register.

An extremely dwarfed, sickly looking demon, resembling a deranged toad, took the empty stool next to him and ordered a beer, letting his gaze scan over the dance floor quickly. Even though the guy looked like a total creep, Kohaku knew immediately that this was who he was waiting for when the man discreetly made eye contact with him.

The bartender delivered the beer and the man paid cash for it, standing up moving away with his drink, apparently satisfied. On the stool that had just been vacated sat a small envelope, which Kohaku picked up after sliding a few bills onto the counter and standing up to leave.

Package in hand, Kohaku slipped into the men's room and slit open the parcel with a pocket knife. Inside were plane tickets and an address in Kyoto. Taking a closer look at the tickets, Kohaku noted that they would get him on several connecting flights that would eventually take him to Tokyo International Airport.

Feeling his heart clench at the idea of returning to Japan, Kohaku stuffed the papers back in the envelope and put it in an inside pocket of his coat. Though his personal feelings on the matter didn't count, Kohaku knew it was going to be a real task to step onto a plane with Tokyo as the destination.

Not in the mood to stay at the dance club any longer, Kohaku strolled out of the bathroom and right out the front entrance, not even bothering to look back as he found his way to where he had parked his bike.

He mounted his bike as soon as he came to it and kicked up the kickstand with his steel-toed boot, starting the engine and letting the black and green motorcycle roar to life. Trying not to think about his new job, Kohaku weaved out of the parking lot and onto the street, figuring a visit to his cousin in Las Vegas was in order before his departure.

SWITCHING GEARS FROM OVERDRIVE TO HYPERDRIVE

She jumped down onto the metal overhang, cringing when she heard the click of her heel on the steel. Not wanting to be noticed, she was forced to stay perfectly still as the roaming eyes jerked to where she lay hidden in the shadows. In the tense moments that followed, Kagome didn't even breathe, lest the men below her heard her labored movements.

For what seemed like hours, but was in fact only minutes, the bushy-browed men had their hands on their holsters and were carefully watching the shadows.

They spoke in low tones to each other, and Kagome wasn't sure whether they were speaking English or some other language. Their words were harsh and guttural, like they were from somewhere in North Eastern Europe or Asia.

It took a few minutes after the men lowered their guards somewhat for Kagome to risk moving. When she did move, she slunk across the metal overhang as quietly as she could manage. There was something jerky and uncontrolled about her movements, annoying Kagome at the lack of control she possessed over her limbs.

She couldn't remember ever having had this problem before when sneaking around, though it had been almost 2 ½ years since she had done anything in relation to the shadier part of the world, so her memory may not have served correctly in that respect.

As she approached within hearing range of the group of five men sitting huddled around a table with a laptop and a few papers scattered on it. Like she had previously surmised, they were speaking in low whispers a language she was unfamiliar with, most likely Russian or Ukrainian in origin.

That in mind, Kagome tried to inch closer to hovering just above them to get a clearer look at what had all of their attentions.

From the tones of their voices, Kagome gathered that these were not a happy bunch of campers. It didn't explain, however, what they had been doing hanging around Ryoki-ji-chan's casino every night. Nor did it explain the shady men that had come by the casino yesterday asking about Kaoru.

Taking out a small camera, Kagome snapped a few pictures of the group, the papers, and the computer, hoping to be able to take them home and analyze them for any clues.

Her footing was nearly lost when one of the men shot out of the group and started yelling and flailing his arms like a lunatic. At first she had thought that it was because of her presence, but the other men began yelling back, which satiated the first guy and got him to stop screaming.

Figuring now was as good a time as any to make her exit, Kagome started to slink away from the group, but not without her heel once again making loud contact with the raised metal platform she was using as her roost.

Heart jumping to her throat, as it had been louder and closer to the men then the first incident, Kagome slowly turned to eye the gruff looking men. Sweat slipped down her neck as she saw all five pairs of eyes fixated on her.

Time seemed to drag on as Kagome and the men pulled out their guns simultaneously to fire at one another. Their screams died on her ears as she dove as far away, as fast as possible while trying to cover her butt with a handgun.

It was only a matter of seconds that there was crossfire, as Kagome managed to escape the building by a hair, but the skirmish left its mark on the former Japanese thief.

Adrenaline was coursing through her veins as she scurried away from the warehouses, so it wasn't until she had gone a couple of blocks that the pain hit her. She doubled over as soon as it did though, clutching her stomach and gasping for air.

When she pulled her hand away from her torso, she could see through the dark of the night that it was caked in a dark, wet substance; her blood.

Coughing, Kagome staggered to her feet and stumbled between two buildings, using one of them to support herself as she moved. Within a matter of minutes the edges of her vision were blurring and she felt her head becoming lighter than a feather on the breeze.

She heard men's voices behind her and tried to make out who they were or what they were saying and failed miserably. Stumbling over her own feet, Kagome barely felt the impact as her shoulder hit the asphalt and the world blacked out entirely.

Her last coherent thought was that if she made it out of this alive, she'd have a lot of training to do back in Japan.

PORK CHOPS IN RED GRAPE JUICE

The moment he had seen his sister in Las Vegas, Kohaku was suddenly "inspired" to go to Japan, not even stopping to let her see his face. She had seemed momentarily distressed but overall radiant from the glimpse he had allowed himself.

But that was a week ago and Kohaku now found himself on the outskirts of Kyoto in front of a spectacular estate. The place had a twenty foot tall brick fence and elaborately designed iron gate that enclosed a four-story building completed surrounded by gardens of every kind of flower and shrub imaginable, as well as a good number of deciduous trees. The leaves were beginning to show tinges of reds and gold; the telltale sign that autumn had just about arrived.

After speaking with the security guard, Kohaku was allowed onto the premises, where he was directed into the mansion. Once inside the building a young maid led him into the "front parlor" where she offered him tea. Not feeling like being rude, Kohaku accepted the tea and watched as she departed silently.

He took that moment alone to assess the room he was seated in and what kind of beings inhabited the place. Feeling the presence of hundreds of demons, Kohaku had to resist the almost reflexive shudder that overcame his body. Amongst so many demons, Kohaku only noted one human aura located within the estate.

No one came through the parlor for another half an hour, and Kohaku's tea was long gone before that time had past. Though tired from his travels, Kohaku sat patiently and waited for whoever was the proprietor of this land to come and tell him what exactly he was going to be hired muscle for.

It wasn't until another hour had passed that a tall, regally dressed man entered the room and looked down at him through disinterested eyes.

Kohaku felt his back straighten under the man's gaze, and allowed himself to take in this new arrival's appearance. A full-blooded demon, the man had long, silver hair that fell hast his knees, pointed ears, purple stripes lining his cheeks, and golden eyes as his characteristics that stood out as abnormal in comparison to mortals.

"Come." The man's deep, commanding voice rang in his ears, and for some reason Kohaku's mind jumped to the thought of Kagura and her stern, controlling words.

Standing quickly, Kohaku followed the demon, which couldn't have been anything short of a lord, out of the parlor and deeper into the mansion. They ascended two flights of stairs before stopping just outside ornately carved double doors.

The demon opened the doors in one fluid movement, allowing Kohaku to lay eyes on one of the most beautiful human women he had ever chanced to lay eyes on. She was sitting on a stool, an easel before her and a paintbrush in her hand. Her appearance was like any other Japanese maiden, black hair and brown eyes, but the ethereal glow that seemed to surround her drew you in like a moth to the flame.

She looked towards them, a smile lighting her face when her eyes settled on the man next to Kohaku, and he knew immediately that this woman was untouchable. Yet he still watched as she rolled to her feet and trotted towards them.

It was then that Kohaku noticed the watermelon she had for a stomach; she was very pregnant. Despite that, she looked like she could be no more that fifteen or sixteen years old.

Feeling a little foolish with himself, Kohaku realized that he had just had a moment where he was attracted to his client's WIFE. He felt his face go red, and scolded himself for letting his mind wander away from its task and his heart away from where it truly lied.

The raven-haired woman reached them, and stuck her hand out for Kohaku to shake. Hesitantly, and looking at the demon lord out of the corner of his eye, Kohaku grasped the woman's hand and gave it a light, friendly shake.

"Rin has been looking forward to your coming, Kohaku Takajima," Kohaku's eyes widened, fearful surprise closing in on him at the fact that this 'Rin' knew his name, "Sesshoumaru-sama has told Rin many things about the Takajima family."

Her bright smile alleviated some of his fears, and Kohaku supposed it was to be expected that his family was well-known in the underground world of Japan, as they were the most sought-after hired muscle in their prime. "I am pleased to meet you as well, Rin-sama."

Rin laughed, her voice filling the room and seeming to brighten it even further, if that were possible. "Just call me Rin, Kohaku-kun!"

Kohaku looked to the demon, and was surprised to see that the man had somehow slipped away without him even realizing it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is a busy man. That's why he wanted you to come and protect me for him." Rin absentmindedly rubbed her swollen gut, looking off into some distant realm of her mind. "With my present condition, Sesshoumaru-sama has become such a worry-wart. And with all that's been going on, he's been under a lot of stress lately."

"All that's been going on?" Kohaku furrowed his eyebrows, looking curiously at the young mistress of the estate. Her words had piqued his curiosity, and though he felt he was prying, he wanted to know more.

"Oh yes!" Rin turned from him and hobbled over to a sitting area he had failed to notice earlier situated in the corner of the room. Kohaku scolded himself for not paying as close attention to his surroundings as he should.

That thought in mind, Kohaku opened up his awareness while following Rin to the chairs where she had already flopped herself down and folded both arms across her stomach.

Rin smiled at Kohaku lightly as he sat down, and without being prompted, the girl resumed her speech. "A group of bad men have stolen a bunch of Youkai Enterprise secrets, ones that could be used to cripple the business, and have been selling them to the highest bidder." She paused letting one of her hands caress her midsection while she thought. "You can imagine how angry Sesshoumaru-sama is about the leak, but he hasn't been able to do anything because of the attempts on my life that had become more frequent the closer I get." When she looked down at her front, Kohaku knew what she meant by that: there was someone who was attempting to stop Rin from bearing Sesshoumaru an heir.

Kohaku nodded, slowly beginning to understand why exactly his services had been needed. In all likelihood, the people coming after Rin were demons, and who better to entrust with Rin's safety than a demon slayer?

Yes, things were truly beginning to make sense.

MARKED FOR DEATH BY TICKLING

Inuyasha slammed the apartment door open, feeling some sort of satisfaction as it ricocheted off the wall and bounced back toward him. Stepping aside, he allowed it to close itself almost entirely due to its momentum.

Hunt jumped out of the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a bundle of papers in the other. She scowled at his noisy entrance, indicating to him to close the door the rest of the way and lock it.

"Get anything?" Hunt took a sip of her coffee and turned back to the kitchen as she spoke, her annoyance obviously already dissipated.

Inuyasha felt himself grinning. "A bit." He slipped off his shoes and jacket, moving into the kitchen to rummage up some dinner from the refrigerator. "Russians are a bit riled up. Apparently there was an intruder at their Las Vegas base of operations a couple of days ago, and they're not sure what the thief wanted."

Hunt sighed into her mug and leaned against the counter. "Wonder what that was about?"

"Just wait, there's more." Inuyasha pulled out a coke and opened it with one deft movement of his claw. "They were able to trace the intruder back to a casino on the strip, and think the break-in has something to do with the place."

His red-headed partner put her unfinished coffee by the sink and slunk away into the living room, where they had sprawled out a good deal of intelligence that had been gathered in the last two weeks of being there. Inuyasha followed silently, wondering what her sudden exodus from the kitchen was all about.

Hunt pulled up a single sheet of paper that was half buried beneath other documents. When Inuyasha gave the wolf demon a quizzical look, Hunt finally decided to look at him and clarify. "Hmm. Sorry. Your mention of a casino just made me think of this joint." She showed him the paper, which had a bit of information on a restaurant casino called Kami Clan Casino. "They pay dues to a ton of different crime rings for 'protection.' I didn't think anything of it before."

Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out where Hunt was going with this.

Suddenly she smiled, pushing papers on the floor aside to reveal the documents covered by them. His ear twitched as he heard the seasoned FBI agent begin muttering to herself and writing notes on a pad of paper kept for doing just that.

"Are you going to share your insight with me anytime soon, Hunt?" Inuyasha felt the insults on the tip of his tongue, but he knew if he so much as started to curse at his partner, she'd never tell him what she had figured out.

"Give me a minute, Jidai."

With a grunt, Inuyasha flopped himself down on the old, beat-up couch that had been provided to furnish their temporary residence. Since he wasn't being included in this little intelligence session, he saw no reason to hover over the woman's shoulder. He looked out the window at the sky. The city was too bright to see the stars, but Inuyasha knew that somewhere out there they were twinkling down on even this godforsaken city.

"Got it!"

Inuyasha looked over at Hunt, waiting for her to continue.

"Except knowing who our puppet master is, I think we've finally cracked this mystery open." The glint in Hunt's eyes was unmistakable in its predatory nature, and Inuyasha knew that Hunt was already contemplating how she was going to rip the bad guy to shreds.

Hunt shoved her notes into his lap before leaving the living room with an "I'm gonna turn in for the night."

IF VEGETARIANS EAT VEGETABLES…

The next morning, Ayame found herself being awoken by the annoying sound of the phone ringing incessantly. Not wanting to answer it, Ayame rolled over and shoved her pillow over her head, growling slightly at having her beauty sleep interrupted.

She listened as the phone—either Jidai's or hers cell phone—continued to ring, and ring, and ring. Letting out a full-blown growl of annoyance, Ayame threw off the covers and climbed out of bed to answer the freaking phone.

As she pulled on her robe, she heard Jidai in the next room getting up, voicing his complaints that were much the same as her own. Ayame found that the ringing was coming from both of their cell phones. And to top it off, it was Los Angeles FBI Headquarters calling.

Ayame flipped open her phone and barked out a, "What is it that just can't wait until a reasonable hour?"

She felt her jaw tighten as it was Kaede's stern voice that responded. "You're both being called back to active duty. I can't say over the phone, but you are to report immediately to Los Angeles. Leave your things; someone will be by to pack up everything later."

"Understood, Sutruss." At the same time as acknowledging Sutruss, Ayame felt her face turning green and looked at the living room floor. No packing up allowed? Oh dear.

Jidai appeared to have the same thought as she; he frantically got down on hands and knees and started shoving the papers together into a crumpled pile to toss in his briefcase. Ayame joined him in his efforts, feeling like a cub trying to get rid of the evidence that she had disobeyed her grandfather.

The papers were soon all off the floor and sitting haphazardly in their carry-cases. Ayame swept a hand through her bush of red hair, feeling the pounding of her heart subsiding. She looked at the half-demon FBI agent she had been working with for almost two years and he returned her gaze without fear.

"Guess we'd better throw some clothes on and head out of here, huh?" Jidai nodded in consent, and they both returned to their respective rooms to change out of their sleepwear.

Ayame pulled off her robe and replaced it with a pair of dark brown cargo pants and a forest green button down shirt with no sleeves. They had been on "vacation," after all, so she hadn't packed much as far as professional appearing clothing.

She pulled on some clean socks and shoved her feet into her steel-toed boots, not bothering to lace them up before reentering the living area. Jidai came out of his room about the same time she did, and he was similarly (as in casually) dressed.

They nodded in acknowledgement of each other and grabbed their briefcases that were busting at the seams. Ayame felt the corner of her mouth twitch upwards before she was able to suppress the urge to laugh at their child-like behavior.

Within a few moments, the two agents were on the road and speeding back to Los Angeles where the superior had called them to. Jidai was driving their car, and she was riding shotgun, watching the scenery pass by far too quickly based on the speed limits.

"Are you trying to get us pulled over?" Ayame looked at Jidai with narrowed eyes, shifting her weight in her seat to get more comfortable on the worn-down leather.

"FBI emergency. We're above the law." She choose not to even register the curse words he added, omitting them entirely from his sentence in her mind. Shrugging, Ayame looked back out the window, yawning tiredly in the predawn hours.

It was, after all, only 4:17 in the morning.

…THEN WHAT DO HUMANITARIANS EAT?

Hours later, the agents finally found themselves arriving at FBI HQ just as the sun was breaking over the horizon. Ayame stepped enthusiastically out of the car and stretched her arms over her head, feeling the tenseness of her muscles and being all-too aware of the lack of comfort in their beat-up company car. Stupid, economic piece of junk.

Leaving the car and entering the building where the agency was situated, they were both immediately bombarded by a butt-load of agents running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Ayame felt her eyes widen at the sight, and knew that the situation was even more serious than she had first assumed when Kaede had called them.

Following Jidai's lead, Ayame made her way through the bustle of busybodies and stopped in front of Kaede Sutruss's door. Since Jidai wasn't knocking, Ayame took it upon herself to rap on the door and wait from an answer from within.

A tired and haggard looking old woman answered the door, and it took Ayame a moment to recognize her as the resilient female whom she had entered the FBI with.

"Come in, you two, and I'll debrief you."

Sutruss stepped aside and allowed the two agents to enter. The usually pristine office was a disaster. A tornado had come through the place, sweeping file cabinet drawers open, or even on the floor, their contents tossed every which way; Ayame then wanted to know how long it took to get the office looking like this.

Ayame dumped some files on the ground so that she could sit in one of the chairs, and noted that Jidai had to do the same.

"Time's a wasting, old bag. What's the situation?" Jidai, as rude and callous as ever, broke the silence that had somehow engulfed them all.

"Last night, at around 11:30 pm, there was a major security breach here. Someone, or something, managed to hack into the Bureau's computer network. It wasn't detected for over an hour and we don't know what intelligence was copied by the hacker."

As she listened, Ayame immediately thought of Jidai's primary "source" of intelligence; a fox cub that hacked any information, but only as long as your wallet was thick enough to handle it.

Jidai must have had the same line of thought, as he looked at her and nodded slightly. When they were done here, they were going to pay the little kiddo a visit.

**I  
Do  
Not  
Sleep**

**Inutori:** That's about it for now. I know it doesn't focus much on our main girl, Kagome, but I need to establish plot and direction, and all that garbage.  
**Kagome:** You had me SHOT!!! AGAIN!!! You hate me, don't you?  
**Inuyasha:** That, or you just scream "shoot me" to organized crime.  
**Sango: **I doubt that. Kagome, you just need to be more careful.  
**Miroku:** Yes, Sango-sama is right. What would your mother say?  
**Kagome: **Couldn't answer that, since obviously I'm DYING in the story, and my mother's in Japan.  
**Inutori:** I didn't WANT to have you shot, but you see…they offered to do it for free, and give me a discount on my next mark, and…well it was just an offer too good to refuse…  
**Sango:** Wait…who's your next mark?...  
**Inutori:** …


	4. Divided Union

**Inutori:** Hey minna-san! ...Sorry for the long wait...but what can I say other than I have big problems in my life that I couldn't help. The original reason I thought it was going to take a month was that I was going on a two and a half week trip to visit family cross-country. Then a girl at the apartment I practically lived at disappeared for a week, turning up dead at the end of it. That's a whole lot a time-consuming drama. So because of her, the other girls that actually DID live there had to frantically try and find new dwellings, as they couldn't afford, nor wanted to remain at, the apartment they had shared with their now-dead roommate. I helped out as best I could as one of their best friends, and have now moved so that I am sharing a place with one of them. We just set up internet a couple of days ago and so now I'm finally getting around to putting up this chapter.  
**Kagome:** Inutori doesn't own Inuyasha or any of its affiliates, although she does claim rights to this story idea.  
**Inutori:** And in this chapter is the long-awaited reunion of Kagome and Inuyasha. Hope you enjoy.

_Chapter 4  
Divided Union_

Sango sighed worriedly, changing the almost dry cloth on her charge's head for a cold, moist one. It had already been a week since Kagome had shown up on her hotel balcony, unconscious and nearly bleeding to death.

To avoid any unwanted questions from both her own husband, and the hotel staff, Sango had quickly moved her cousin back to her own cramped apartment where she and her daughter lived.

Sango looked down at her "niece," snuggled against Kagome's side, and let out a deep sigh. Kagome better pull through this or Sango would chase her down into the afterlife and beat her to a bloody pulp.

Kaoru stirred only moments before opening her bright blue eyes. She looked dazed for only a moment before sitting up and reaching for her previously discarded stuffed bear.

"Sango-nee-chan, mama better yet?"

The former fighter-for-higher felt a sad smile pull at her mouth as she ran a hand through the four-year-olds' thick black hair. "Not yet, Kaoru-chan." That said Sango looked down at Kagome again, drawing comfort from the constant rise and fall of her chest.

Kagome wasn't going to go down without a fight: that was for certain.

Sango leaned over and scooped Kaoru up, figuring that she'd best feed the child before she started complaining. Not that Kaoru really ever made much of a fuss.

In the kitchen, Sango sat Kaoru in one of the chairs surrounding the small dining table and proceeded to grab a bowl from the cupboard and fill it with Cheerios. After adding milk and grabbing a spoon, Sango set the bowl in front of Kaoru and quickly fetched a cup of milk to go along with the breakfast.

For herself, Sango slathered a bagel with strawberry cream cheese and a glass of orange juice. She sat down across from Kaoru, tearing a piece off her bagel and eating it.

As usual, Kaoru stayed quiet as she slowly scooped the cereal into her small, delicate mouth. The taijiya found it fascinating to watch the well-mannered child, and felt she would never get used to the lack of screaming, crying, and breaking objects that usually followed small children; especially small children with demon blood like Kaoru.

A painful groan from the bedroom grabbed Sango's attention and she immediately pulled out of her reverie to rush down the hall.

In the bed, Kagome was awake and attempting to sit up, one hand clutching her abdomen where the bullet had passed right through her. Sango jumped to her side, pushing the Asian girl back onto her pillow with a bit more force than necessary.

Kagome's response was a howl of pain, cut off halfway through when her throat suddenly closed. The noise attracted Kaoru, and the little girl stumbled into the room as quickly as her short legs could carry her.

"Mama!"

The cry of joy emitted by the child tugged at a corner of Sango's heart. Even though Kagome had finally regained consciousness, she still wasn't out of the water yet. It wouldn't be nearly so bothersome if they had been able to go to a hospital. But hospitals ask questions that one may not want to answer lest compromising one's record.

Sango watched as Kagome buried the pain on her face and turned her head to look at her daughter. "Hey kiddo."

Kaoru leapt onto the bed without a second thought, crushing her mother in a bear hug. The only sign of discomfort that Kagome showed was a brief flash in her deep blue eyes. Other than that one moment Kagome did very well to hide the excruciating pain she must have been in for this time with her daughter.

Kagome lifted her arms and wrapped them around the raven-haired child, a smile finding its way forcefully to her face.

It took all of Sango's resolve to pry Kaoru off of Kagome, and it pulled her heartstrings to have to ask the little female demon to go play in her room down the hall.

Once Kaoru was gone though, Sango turned on Kagome.

"Kagome, what is all of this?" Sango pointedly looked up and down Kagome's beaten form, her jaw clenching and her hands curling into tight fists. She had managed to keep a cool head as she tended to Kagome and her daughter for the last week, but with Kagome finally awake, there were some questions that needed answering.

As she waited for an answer, Sango watched Kagome's eyes; if Kagome was lying, she would know.

"I…" Kagome took a deep breath, closing her eyes as a pained looked came over her expression. "How did you find me?"

All of the questions swarming around Sango's brain came to an abrupt standstill at Kagome's query. Of all the things to ask… "You were on the balcony of my hotel suite, Kags. You weren't that hard to miss."

Kagome's brow furrowed and she opened her eyes to look once again at Sango. "Sango, do I look like I was in any condition to get to your 9th story balcony?"

A cold shiver ran down Sango's spine. She hadn't really thought about that before; it had just made sense that Kagome would come to her, wherever she was, if Kagome was injured. "Not really, no."

The sigh that Kagome let out was followed by her closing her eyes and relaxing almost entirely, allowing her body to become limp.

Sango tentatively brushed her bangs away from her eyes and looked quietly out the window. How HAD Kagome managed to find her way to Sango's hotel balcony? It just didn't add up.

"Hey, wait a minute. You dodged my question." Sango looked back down on Kagome, who had added a pained grin to her otherwise peaceful expression.

Kagome didn't say anything and Sango felt her frustration build with her younger cousin. There was only so much Sango could take, and this was really pushing her envelope.

"Kagome." Sango growled out the wounded girl's name, letting her eyes narrow as she watched Kagome's face.

The grin widened and Kagome coughed slightly. "I had a run-in with some unscrupulous characters."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Ya think?" After the incident with Naraku's crime ring, Sango had decided it would be prudent to perhaps build a bridge over the language barriers she had been so crippled by before. So over the last two years, Sango's English had not only improved, but she had been quickly picking up the slang of the Americans in her studies.

Though Sango waited, Kagome didn't elaborate on her ordeal as she should have. The Japanese agent ground her teeth together and began to quietly growl in her anger and frustration.

"Kagome."

Kagome met her eyes, magenta clashing with blue with such force that buildings would have crumbled had they interfered with that look. "I can't tell you Sango. I'm sorry, but I can't."

A rock formed in Sango's chest and she shot to her feet. "I take care of your ailing body, save you from the brink of death, and you can't tell me?! Kagome!"

The former thief's gaze did not waver as she continued to look at her cousin. "And I'm thankful; more so than you could probably understand. It's just not something I can tell you. I'm sorry."

Sango straightened, looking down on Kagome while trying to keep her tear glands from overflowing. "Then I guess you don't need me anymore, huh?" She was about ready to turn away when the silence dragged on between them.

Kagome licked her lips before responding. "I do need your help, Sango. But you're going to have to trust me. Can you do that for me?"

It took Sango a few moments to respond, as she thought about what this could possibly entail. "I think…I guess I'm going to have to try, aren't I?"

A smile spread across Kagome's face. "Good. Now can we get me something to eat? I'm wasting away over here."

FRAGRANCE OF SKUNK

Inuyasha scowled at the paperwork in front of him, opting instead to get on the computer and look up some international news to get his mind off of the intra-national crisis. Not many articles were popping out at him, and the ones that were really weren't that interesting after he started to read them.

Hunt stirred in her chair, her head slowly rising from where it had hidden behind her arms on the desk in front of her. "What's going on, Jidai?"

Inuyasha let out an annoyed sigh, slouching down further into his chair. "Nothing; just the same as the last four weeks. Absolutely, freaking nothing."

That seemed to get Hunt off his case as he continued scrolling through international headline news. He became so absorbed in his skimming of the screen that it didn't even register that Hunt was standing behind him until she reached over his shoulder and pointed at a link on the webpage. "That one looks interesting."

Pulled out of his "skimming-mode," Inuyasha took a closer look at the article Hunt had pointed out. The headline was "Japanese Theft on the Rise—Police Baffled."

Something gripped at is insides as he clicked on the link and the article popped up. Quickly, he began to read.

" TOKYO —While there had once been a decrease in burglary during the last two years throughout the city, the numbers of thefts has dramatically skyrocketed in the last month. Rumors have been spreading that the Japanese Snake, a once notorious thief that mysteriously vanished two years ago, is the one behind the heists.

Police Chief Hirigazawa continues to deny this rumor, saying that the Snake was arrested two years ago in April—the reason for the plummet in area crime—and that the thief is still safely behind bars. Despite this assurance, there is no court record that indicates that any individual was ever prosecuted for the crimes allegedly committed by the Snake."

Inuyasha sat back, unable to read any further with his mind turned topsy-turvy as it was.

"Kagome." He breathed out her name without even realizing it.

Hunt turned and gave him a strange look, glancing back at the article quickly before shrugging and returning to her own workspace. After a moment, Inuyasha clicked the print button and listen absent-mindedly to the printer warming up and then spitting out the article.

It took another good ten minutes before Inuyasha was able to return to his senses long enough to realize Hunt had stepped out and Sutruss had let herself in. With a grumble, Inuyasha found a headache forming and he leaned forward to give Kaede Sutruss a solid glare.

HOT HEADS IN SCUBA GEAR

Ayame rechecked her clip, confirming that her gun was fully loaded before pulling her visor down and quietly crouching down just out of sight. It was well past sunset on All Hollow's Eve and the warehouse was coming alive with activity just 50 yards away.

She looked to her partner Jidai, crouched just feet away from her and gave a nod, indicating that she was ready. Jidai returned the gesture and waved to another pair of agents just behind them. The wolf demon knew that this would continue down the line quickly, and soon the raid would begin.

Waving toward Inuyasha, they dashed for a shaded area between two shipping crates that had once sailed across the ocean as well as ridden on a semi truck trailer. Once there, Ayame froze.

The smell of blood coated the area and made her hackles rise. Though the scent was a couple of weeks old, the strength of the stench suggested someone had probably died, or come very close to dying, here. Beside her, Jidai was stiff as a board.

Ayame's glare hardened as she took in Inuyasha Jidai's pale expression. His eyes flashed red a couple of times before settling back to their usual golden color. He was sweating profusely, indicating the strain controlling his demon blood had been.

A grip of fear tightened in Ayame's chest. Jidai was in no condition to participate in the raid now; doing so would jeopardize all of the agents there.

Before Ayame could call off the foray, Inuyasha disappeared from right in front of her eyes. She blinked a few times before cursing vehemently. Kaede was NOT going to like this.

DIGGING UP GRAVEYARDS FOR KICKS

Inuyasha looked up the never-ending flight of steps, remembering the last time he had been here over two years previously. It was _her _home.

The fear and rage coursing through him hadn't diminished since he had stood by that warehouse and smelt her blood smothering the area. He knew that his demon side wouldn't rest until he knew she was unharmed, and that meant coming to Japan, where reports of the Japanese Snake's return were flying in by the armload.

He began climbing the stairs, wondering what exactly he was going to say to that wench once he saw her again. Scenarios ran through his head and he began muttering to himself as he climbed, working out the kinks of his speech.

It had been too long since he had last laid eyes on _her_, and once he had a hold of her, he didn't really have any intention of letting go whether she liked it or not.

Ahead, he could see that he was approaching the top of the steps, and unconsciously he put a hand in his pocket to finger the contents and clear his mind.

Time didn't seem to matter to him, and it shouldn't matter to _her_ either. _She_ would be the one he held at night as he drifted to sleep, the one he stuck around to watch grow old even as he lived on given his demon blood.

When he reached the top of the steps, time must have stopped moving, for there, bathed in sunlight, stood Kagome Higurashi. She was wearing traditional shrine maiden clothes and sweeping the stony ground calmly.

A lump formed in his throat and the hand still in his coat pocket clenched tightly. After this, it was all or nothing.

Inuyasha made to go forward, freezing once again as he watched a small, black-haired child clumsily rush to Kagome's side, clutching something in its hands and presenting it to his angel in red and white.

His ear twitched as he strained to listen in.

"What have you got there, sweetie?" The American FBI agent watched Kagome crouch down to be more on level with the child and put out the hand not holding onto the broom towards the child.

"It's a bug, mama!" Something inside Inuyasha collapsed at that one single word.

Mama. _She_ was supposed to be the mother of _his_ pups. Not someone else's.

He felt like running. He wanted to run. She was safe; that much was obvious. She also belonged to someone else; another blatant fact.

Before he managed to escape, though, Kagome looked up and met his gaze. Her eyes widened in surprise and she shot to her feet in a split second. A flash of something akin to pain crossed her features, but it was overshadowed by shock.

There was no running away now; he had been caught in that piercing blue gaze.

Minutes passed and neither moved, just staring at the other in silence. The moment was broken when the Japanese agent Inuyasha had met two years before stepped out of the house to the left of where Kagome stood.

The new arrival spoke quickly in Japanese, dying off mid-sentence as she caught sight of Inuyasha. Two years ago his Japanese had been rusty: now it was just plain shameful.

It was awkward, standing there looking between the two Japanese women in front of him. With a swallow he snagged his courage and stepped toward Kagome, meeting her eyes purposefully.

She didn't move from her spot until Inuyasha was almost standing on her toes.

JUST CHECKING TO MAKE SURE THE DOOR IS FLUSHED

Kagome eyed the FBI agent warily. Before she had managed to send him off, her mother had spotted the silver haired man and invited him in for tea.

Those golden eyes of his were fixed on her, and Kagome had a little trouble remembering how to breathe because of it. Sango sat to her side, perfectly still, and completely on guard. They were both wary of the American agent and his business at the Higurashi shrine.

She watched Inuyasha's eyes trail to Kaoru, playing across the room, and then shift back to look at her. His gaze seemed to tear at her every fiber, leaving her feeling naked and exposed before his scrutiny.

Despite that, Kagome couldn't help but admire his masculine features that she had tried for two years to forget. Something clenched at her chest and she ground her teeth to keep from letting the emotions play across her face. The pain in her abdomen form her bullet wound was excruciating; at least, that's what she told herself it was, since it couldn't have anything to do with Inuyasha.

"Your daughter." Inuyasha finally broke the silence, once again looking at Kaoru and away from her. It was more a statement rather than a question, and Kagome just nodded mutely, letting her gaze rest on the four-year-old girl.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw the muscles in Inuyasha's neck tense and relax a few times as the silence drew on.

Needing something to do, Kagome reached forward with both hands and picked up her cup of tea. She hadn't had touched the drink since sitting down several minutes ago, but the warmth seeped through the ceramic cup and into her cold fingers like it was freshly brewed.

The silence dragged on, and Kagome didn't want to be the one to break it. She still wanted to know why Inuyasha was here, but if he was going to be stubbornly silent, so would she.

Sango seemed to loose patience as she slammed her cup on the table, cracking the ceramic with her force. Kagome flinched at the loud noise it made, and jerked her attention to her elder cousin.

"This is stupid, and we all know it. What is it you want, Jidai?" Sango spoke in English, having already discovered that the American's handle on the Japanese language had slipped.

Inuyasha's eyes seemed to dart everywhere, and look at everything but the two women in front of him. "I...I...I just wanted to..." His eyes finally found a point of focus when Kagome set her cup of tea back down: he stared at her hands without bothering to blink.

Without warning, Inuyasha lunged across the short table and had Kagome pinned to the floor. Sango was too slow to react and Inuyasha ripped the ring off of Kagome's left ring finger in an instant. He was across the room and seething before either of the girls could do anything.

"You're engaged?!" Inuyasha looked up at Kagome, an accusatory glint in his eye.

"It's been two years, Inuyasha. What did you expect me to do, become an old maid?" Kagome felt tears welling up in her eyes, and this time she knew it wasn't from the pain in her torso.

"You ran away! When I came after you, you were already gone again! You were supposed to be with ME! Not some idiot who can't take care of you!"

She felt her heart stop for a brief second. "Kouga-kun takes very good care of me!"

Sango stepped in, staring down at Inuyasha and pulling a small dagger out of the back of her shirt. She flashed it at him before letting her arm drop to her side. "I think it's about time you left, Jidai."

Her menacing tone sent chills up Kagome's spine, and she hated to know what it did to Inuyasha, at whom it was directed.

Inuyasha's golden eyes sparked a dark violet momentarily before he let out a 'keh' and moved toward the exit. As he passed the table beside the door, he slammed down Kagome's ring, leaving it half imbedded in the wood.

A few seconds after the door closed behind the silver-haired half-demon, Kagome cautiously approached the table where he had left her ring.

Only thing was, it wasn't her engagement ring from Kouga. This ring, once she pulled it out of the table, had several small diamonds, in lieu of one large diamond, spread out across the top half of the ring with sapphire and ivory vines twisting through to make a spectacularly beautiful design.

Sango came over to look at what was keeping Kagome riveted to the spot and gasped.

"K-Kagome! That's..."

Licking her lips, Kagome nodded softly. She swallowed and slipped the ring onto the fourth digit on her left hand. It was a perfect, unobtrusive fit, and she absolutely loved it. A feeling welled inside her, but she couldn't place what that feeling was exactly.

Tears that had been building since Inuyasha had looked at her with accusation in his eyes finally spilled over and Kagome slid to the floor, grasping at her chest with both hands.

WHOEVER SAID HAPPINESS IS BLISS WAS DEAD WRONG

Inuyasha looked back up at the long expanse of stairs leading to Kagome. He then looked down at the ring in his hand. Upon looking at the ring, Inuyasha's eyes widened and his gaze went up to the top of the steps again with dread.

Though he hadn't meant to, he had kept Kagome's engagement ring from her "Kouga" and had instead given her the one that he had picked up two years before just prior to going to Japan to fetch Kagome the second time.

Dread coursed through his veins, but as the minutes ticked on and no crazed women came out to beat him with a stick, his pulse steadied and the fear seeped out of him.

With a little nod to himself, Inuyasha left the base of the stairs and continued down the street. He resolved that if he were to finally catch Kagome, he would first have to take out the competition that this 'Kouga' presented.

**I  
Do  
Not  
Sleep**

**Inutori: **::sighs:: I unfortunately cannot tell you when the next chapter will be posted. I've been working on several original stories lately, and between that, settling in, drawing, and work, I have not found much time for writing fanfics. Please bear with me.  
**Sango:** Why hasn't my husband been in this fic yet?  
**Miroku:** Yeah, why haven't I made my appearance? You keep mentioning me, but where am I? I wouldn't let Sango just up and leave for Japan without me going as well.  
**Inutori:** Hold on, let me check my outline...you show up in chapter...NEVER! Muwahahaha!  
**Kagome:** ::grabs outline out of Inutori's hand:: No worries, Miroku. You're here in the outline...then again, according to this, you should have had a part in chapter one...Inutori?  
**Inutori:** ::scratches back of head and laughs nervously::


End file.
